Odd question, but I never got exactly where all those sales come from, considering I know nobody who's both not a long time video gamer and who plays video games at all despite it.
Really, I hear all these news stories about retirement homes filled with elderly people playing Wii Sports and families playing video games together, but part of me is pretty much sure I've never actually seen either occur anywhere near where I live. Maybe it's different in the USA or Japan or whatever, but I've seen exactly one occasion where any of my older relatives a few years ago played Wii Sports at all. Co op modes? I like them, but I really don't see how anyone could beat either New Super Mario Bros Wii or Donkey Kong Country Returns under these conditions unless all participants were hardcore gamers to the max, actually lived in the same building/visited really, really regularly and well... had nothing better to do with their time. It's maybe slightly plausible for two player, but for four player co-op? I've never seen a family I know play New Super Mario Bros Wii, and even a really, really bored (and maybe somewhat drunk) bunch of college students probably wouldn't have the interest to 100% NSMB Wii.
Similarly, are any Wii games even easy enough to be fair for co-op play. Okay, maybe the easy worlds in NSMB Wii, and I'll admit, expanded audience gamers aren't necessarily bad at video games, but co-op gamers aren't single player. You don't generally have people willing to put tons of hours in for practice if they try the game at a party. Do you really think someone who's never played a video game in their life (or only 'social games' on Facebook) is going to be able to even know what's going on in a mine cart or rocket barrel level, where both players control the vehicle at once? When New Super Mario Bros is throwing castles of giant spike pillars, elevators with lots of raining down bombs and darkness filled swimming levels at people, or DKCR is throwing this at them:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVDQUtLj6Xs[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12p97byRYuo&feature=related[/media]
Not exactly hard levels shown, but come on, it's a bit of a step up from Farmville. All these pundits say how platformers are a bridge type of game for players wanting more advanced games after Wii Sports... me personally, I'd say anyone who went from Wii Sports to Donkey Kong Country would probably be more terrified than anything. It's almost like giving a five year old Yoshi's Island DS to play after thinking the game is nice and relaxed cartoon characters and what not, without realising it gets to outright Kaizo levels of difficulty.
Keep in mind, I know many so called 'hardcore' gamers who find even world 2 or so difficult in some of the games mentioned. Imagine telling someone who's never played a game before 'in this level, you have to dodge a huge tidal wave coming in from the background that instantly kills everything it touches. Get behind shelter or die horribly.' That would be priceless to watch.
So, do all these casual gamers really exist? Does this 'culture' Nintendo's recent ads (as well as Sony and Microsoft's motion control offerings) targets even exist? Although cynically, I think I'd be more likely to see a pink unicorn than anyone who acts like they're in a Kinect commercial.
Really, I hear all these news stories about retirement homes filled with elderly people playing Wii Sports and families playing video games together, but part of me is pretty much sure I've never actually seen either occur anywhere near where I live. Maybe it's different in the USA or Japan or whatever, but I've seen exactly one occasion where any of my older relatives a few years ago played Wii Sports at all. Co op modes? I like them, but I really don't see how anyone could beat either New Super Mario Bros Wii or Donkey Kong Country Returns under these conditions unless all participants were hardcore gamers to the max, actually lived in the same building/visited really, really regularly and well... had nothing better to do with their time. It's maybe slightly plausible for two player, but for four player co-op? I've never seen a family I know play New Super Mario Bros Wii, and even a really, really bored (and maybe somewhat drunk) bunch of college students probably wouldn't have the interest to 100% NSMB Wii.
Similarly, are any Wii games even easy enough to be fair for co-op play. Okay, maybe the easy worlds in NSMB Wii, and I'll admit, expanded audience gamers aren't necessarily bad at video games, but co-op gamers aren't single player. You don't generally have people willing to put tons of hours in for practice if they try the game at a party. Do you really think someone who's never played a video game in their life (or only 'social games' on Facebook) is going to be able to even know what's going on in a mine cart or rocket barrel level, where both players control the vehicle at once? When New Super Mario Bros is throwing castles of giant spike pillars, elevators with lots of raining down bombs and darkness filled swimming levels at people, or DKCR is throwing this at them:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVDQUtLj6Xs[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12p97byRYuo&feature=related[/media]
Not exactly hard levels shown, but come on, it's a bit of a step up from Farmville. All these pundits say how platformers are a bridge type of game for players wanting more advanced games after Wii Sports... me personally, I'd say anyone who went from Wii Sports to Donkey Kong Country would probably be more terrified than anything. It's almost like giving a five year old Yoshi's Island DS to play after thinking the game is nice and relaxed cartoon characters and what not, without realising it gets to outright Kaizo levels of difficulty.
Keep in mind, I know many so called 'hardcore' gamers who find even world 2 or so difficult in some of the games mentioned. Imagine telling someone who's never played a game before 'in this level, you have to dodge a huge tidal wave coming in from the background that instantly kills everything it touches. Get behind shelter or die horribly.' That would be priceless to watch.
So, do all these casual gamers really exist? Does this 'culture' Nintendo's recent ads (as well as Sony and Microsoft's motion control offerings) targets even exist? Although cynically, I think I'd be more likely to see a pink unicorn than anyone who acts like they're in a Kinect commercial.
